A WebQuest for Kindergarten (Science)

By Marianne Sandy

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction

We’re going on a pond dip, but we’re not afraid,

We’ve got our boots and our dip nets by our side.

Imagine you’re an explorer and you’ve just found a never explored pond.  Your task is to find and identify what creatures live on or around the pond.  First, we’ll have to do some research – we need to discover what kind of creatures we might find, so we can identify them later.  We’ll look at some books about pond life and visit an identification site on the web.  We’ll also take a virtual dip for practice before we explore our live pond.  We’ll identify 3 of our finds on a recording sheet.  We’ll make a model of a new creature that might live in our pond.

Task

Your task in this WebQuest is to become familiar with a pond habitat and the creatures that live in or around the pond so that you can identify them in a live pond. You will identify 3 of the creatures you find. Using the knowledge you have gained, you will create a new creature for the pond.

Process

  1)  You will become familiar with various habitats by reading National Geographic Young Explorer’s March 2008 edition, as a class.

  2)  You will research in small groups the pond and its’ creatures by using the various books provided.  Mrs. Sandy will work with you.

List on chart paper the characteristics of insects and amphibians and list several examples of each.

  3)   You will visit several sites on the web to learn to identify many of the creatures you will find.  (you will be working with your 8^th grade buddy)

A)     Click http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/pond/pondlife.shtml   scroll down to look at the pictures and become familiar with the different creatures.

B)      Click http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pond-cross.html

This site divides the pond into Above surface, pond surface, midwater and pond margin.  It asks you which creature would live in that area and when you click on the picture it gives a little info. Explore this website with your buddy.

C)      Click  http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/key2.html become familiar with these creatures.

D)     Click  http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/identifypond.html   This is another website to help you become more familiar with pond creatures.

E)      Click  http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pondexplorer.html  Click on the moving waterboatman to bring up a spoonful of pond water. Click on one of the creatures to go to an information sheet with illustration.

  4)   You will go on a virtual pond dip to practice identifying the creatures you might find.  We will do this together in the computer lab.  Click

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ponddip/ This site brings up a jar filled with pond water . It’s a virtual dip.  You click on a creature in the jar of water and more information on the specific creature will come up. It’s almost like fishing.  See if you can identify the creature before you bring up information on it.

  5) You will go on a live pond dip at Camp Christopher .  Work with your parent and collect some creatures in the pond.  Identify 3 of the creatures you found on the recording sheet. (Materials provided: Nets, water bins, magnifying glasses, teaspoons, recording sheets, pencils, a poster of various creatures found in the pond.)

  6)  (homework assignment)  Working with your parent, make a model of an imagined creature you might find in the pond. You can use poster board, or make a creature using various supplied craft materials. Use the pond life recording sheet to tell about your creature. We will present these in class.

Evaluation

Rubric for Exploring Pond Life

Conclusion

Now that you’ve become familiar with the creatures that live on or around a pond, we’re going dipping!

     We’re going on a pond dip,

     But we’re not afraid,

     We’ve got our boots

     And our dipping nets by our side

Click on http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pondliferecordingsheet3.pdf for the recording sheet you’ll use to identify the creatures you find.

After our pond dip you’ll create your own pond creature using the knowledge you gained on our pond quest. You can use poster board or make a 3-d model using the materials supplied in our classroom.

Click on http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pondliferecordingsheet2.pdf for the recording sheet to use with your creature.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our pond quest.  You’ll present your creature to the class.

Credits & References

Resources

1)      National Geographic for Kids March 2008 issue. This magazine explains and describes several different habitats.  The children should have a good idea on what a habitat is when we are finished using the magazine. ( They each get their own issue) We will then be able to narrow the issue to a pond habitat. We will go from general information to more concise information

2)      Books :

Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen and Sebastian Braun. ISBN 0399-24632-0

In the Small, Small, Pond by Denise Fleming ISBN 0-80502264-3

Peeping and Sleeping by Frank Namushkin ISBN 0395-64339-2

The Turtle and the Moon by Charles Turner ISBN 0-525044659-1

These are stories I will read aloud to the class to peak their interest, they have cute stories with a few facts and good illustrations.

3)      Books:

Tale of a Tadpole by Karen Wallace ISBN 07894-3437-7

Great graphics, written text kept to a minimum, facts are easy to understand

Life in a Pond by Stuart A Kallen ISBN 0-7377-1532-4

Text is a little too advanced for kindergarten but some of the beautiful photographs can be used to help with identification of various creatures.

On a Small Square Pond by Donald Silver ISBN 0-7167-6518-7

Another book that is a little too wordy yet has great illustrations

From Tadpole to Frog by David Stewart ISBN 0 531-14491-7

 This book has great graphics with larger and paired down text.

Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman ISBN 0-618-135472

This book has many poems that are a little over the children’s heads but illustrations that are large and colorful.

These next 5 books are very informative with large print, limited text, and enlarged photos:

Tiny Life in a Puddle by Bobbie Early ISBN 0-516-25272-0

What Is an Amphibian by Lola M. Schaefer ISBN 0-7368-0863-9

Frogs and Toads and Tadpoles too by Alan Fowler ISBN 0-516-14925-9

Turtles Take Their Time by Alan Fowler ISBN 0-516006005-8

 Dragonflies by Cheryl Coughlin ISBN 0-7368-0238-x

We will use these books in small groups.  We will look at the pictures and discuss the various creatures we might find in a pond.  We will list our possible creatures on chart paper.

4)      8^th grade buddies

Each of my students has an 8^th grade buddy that will assist them in the computer lab to bring up the various sites and will help them read the text.

5)      http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/pond/pondlife.shtml  The student will have to scroll down to view pictures of various creatures that live on or around a pond.

6)       http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pond-cross.html

This site divides the pond into Above surface, pond surface, midwater  and pond margin.  It asks the student which creature would live in that area and when student clicks on picture gives a little info.

7)      http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/key2.html This is a great identification sheet with good pictures

8)      http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/identifypond.html  This is another good identification site.

9)      http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pondexplorer.html  Click on the moving waterboatman to bring up a spoonful of pond water. Click on one of the creatures to go to an information sheet with illustration.

10)   http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ponddip/ This site brings up a jar filled with pondwater . It’s a virtual dip.  You click on a creature in the jar of water and  more information on the specific creature will come up.  The learners will almost feel like they’re fishing.

11)   The actual pond:  Cardinal Lake at CYO Camp Christopher Bath, Ohio

Students will actually use nets to catch creatures that with the help of their parents (also a resource) they will deposit into water – filled tubs.  We will use magnifying glasses to examine their findings.

12)   Trifold poster board with enlarged pictures to help with the identification of the smaller creatures.

Recording sheet- http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pondliferecordingsheet3.pdf and http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pondliferecordingsheet2.pdf 

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Last updated 03/18/2008 17:36:28. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page